Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-07-30
4 mIsER AND his MONEY.
Remarkable Cfreuustancss in the Case Of
Old Paine and HIS Gresnbsoks.

Eiemarhable Cireumstanees in the Case OF
Old Paine and HIS Greenbsoks.
Once upon a time there was over q
third Of a million in good money that
would pass anywhere at its face value,
and only two men in all the world
! knew where it was, for it was hidden,
and only one of these two knew that it
was money instead Of rubbish; and for
nearly a score Of years it lay I'M
I touched in its hiding place; and then
the old man who knew it was money
died without saying anything to any
body about it, and the other man, dis
! covering that it was money, was so
! honest that he informed the heirs about
| it, and the result was a great contest in
the courts. This contest has become
famous, and people speak of it as the
Paine viii fight, the point at issue
being as to whether there is any such
thing as a Paine viii. The contest is
not yet finished. although the testi-
mOny is all in, and the whole story
about that vast sum of money has
never been told, and probably never
will be. 1t has not even been told be-
fore this that for nearly a year the
/ $780, 600, which astOunded the court,
! one day lay in the Garfield National
bank in this city. Everybody has
heard of the old package that looked
like bundle Of old newspapers which
Mr.. Charles Chickering found in his
safe, and discovered to be stacks and
/ stacks of greenbacks. Without wait
/ ing to count them he hurried off to
Boston and brought a deputatiOn of
the heirs back, and together they eX-
! amined the strange package. Once in
! the seventeen years Aliser Paine had
! asked Mr.. Chickering to keep it for
| him In his safe had the owner inquired
/ about it, casually asking Mr.. CHECKER
/ ing if that bundle was all right. And
/ Mr.. Chickering had replied that it was
! still there, and he wished that Paine
/ would take it away. When the money
! had been counted Mr.. Chickering took
it up to the Garfield bank, and went
! into the presidents room. a little Office
next to the street entrance. Mr..
/ Cheney was there, and, when visitors
had withdrawn, Mr.. Chickering said
to him:
! " have a package here that 1 would
/ like to leave with you for safe keep
ing"
80 Very we'll, - said President Cheney,
Il guess we can accommodate you"
| The package was laid on the desk
and the gentleman passed several in
/ consequential remarks about business
/ and the weather, and then Mr.. Chick
ering rose to go. The president OBJ
served that the package ought to be
marked in some way for Identification.
/ 81 1t is marked, - replied Mr.. CHECKER
| ing, with his hand on the door knob.
| President Cheney looked it over. He
! saw nothing but a row of figures
| scraWled on the newspaper wrapping
without punctuation as if some one
! had been making a rough calculation.
1t did not occur to him that they con-
/ veyed any significance, written as they
were in pencil. He glanced inquir-
/ ingly at Mr.. Chickering, and saw that
/ gentleman look straight at the figures.
/ Mr.. Cheney scrutiniZed them again.
| This is what he saw: 3567OO00.
You don't mean to say" he eX-
/ claimed. in the utmost establishment,
that this package contains 1855, 700?'"
Sc That's just it in cash." said Mr..
| ChickeTing.
President Cheney called the cashier
! in, and, pointing to the package, said:
/ Mr.. Vail, Mr.. Chickering wants us to
/ take care Of this, and that is what he
/ says there is in it."
Mr.. Vail looked at the unprecedented
] figures, glanced up at Mr.. Chickering,
! scOWled, looked again at the figures,
glanced at Mr.. Cheney and then re-
/ peated the operation. When he finally
! persuaded himself that the gentlemen
meant what they said, and the figures
also, he drew a deep breath, and re-
marked:
''Weu, I should think that Mr..
I Chickering had better put his name to
it, in order to identify it in case he
should ever care to call for it.
This sensible step was taken, but Mr..
I Chickering did not call for it until the
day came when he had to produce in
court the property Of the deceased
miser. By that time the $4,000 in
certificates of deposit had been added
to the original package, and it was not
until these were given to Mr.. Cheney
to send through the clearing house
that he knew whose money it was that
he had in his safe. 81 think it makes
one Of the most astounding events in
history" said Mr.. Cheney, in CONVEX
satiOn on the matter. ''Here was al
most half u million dollars in clear
cash, with not a mark Of the faintest
character to identify any portion of it
as belonging to anybody other than the
holder of it. Even the certificates of
deposit were so drawn that Paine's
name WAS uOb mentioned anu as LlGY
were Endorsed, anybody under heaven
might have got the money on
them on presentation. And if Mr..
| Chickering had made any disposition
of the funds for his own benefit, no
one ever would have missed them, for
no one knew that they were in eXis-
! tence. And it seems grimly satirical
that, after he had kept the money
| honestly for twenty years, and then
/ honestly notified the heirs of its exis-
tence, he should have had to give bonds
/ in SS25, 900 for its proper disposition.
] When Mr.. Chickering was approached
| by the heirs to become the executor of
/ the estate, he declined, saying that he
| should have to incumber himself with
! bonds, and didn't want the trouble.
| But they declared that he should not
\ be put under bonds. They were
/ willing to trust him, but when the
! enormous pile was shown in court the
! contestants instantly demanded bonds.
/ and Mr.. Chickering had to furnish
! them.-NelD York Sun.
Coon for Gen. Francis A Walkeri
In Boston recently he stood up and at
tackled the modern method of teaching